Changing business environment demands more from payroll

Survey provides insights on how payroll is changing

By Sheila Brawn

05/13/2014|Canadian Payroll Reporter|Last Updated: 05/13/2014

Businesses are demanding more from their payroll staff, but there are rewards for those who rise to the challenge and gain the education and skills needed to succeed. That is one of the findings of a new payroll salary survey from staffing firm Hays Specialist Recruitment Canada.

"People with a professional payroll designation are paid $10,000 (a year) more than people without one. What that means, I guess, is that companies are becoming more cognizant of the fact that their payroll professionals actually need to be professionals and qualified to do the role rather than traditionally, if you step back a number of years, payroll was often a vocation that you could fall into doing as opposed to thinking about doing it as a career," says Antony McElwee, senior manager with Hays Accounting and Finance in Calgary.

Overall, the survey found that people working in payroll in Canada typically earn between $40,000 and $90,000 per year, depending on their years of experience and the nature of their work. Payroll analysts and co-ordinators/administrators generally earn between $40,000 and $60,000, while payroll specialists earn $50,000 to $70,000, with some making over $100,000.